Wire terminal



Aug. 8, 1933. RI W GRACE 1,921,745

WIRE TERMINAL Filed May 4, 19,31

Patented Hug. 8, 1933 UNITED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE WIRE TERMINAL Application May 4, 1931. Serial No. 534,867

2 Claims. (Cl. 173-269) The invention relates to terminal connections for attachment to the end of a wire or cable conductor, for connecting the conductor to a binding post or the like, and more particularly to such 5 a terminal formed of sheet metal.

Such terminal connections are usually provided with an aperture to receive the binding post or screw, and under present practice the end of the wire or cable conductor is attached to the terminal connection, as by soldering, on the side of said terminal connection toward the conductor.

It has been found by experience that due to vibration of various devices or apparatus upon whichl the terminal connections are used, there is a tendency for the Wire or cable conductorA to break at the point of attachment to the terminal connection. i

An object of the present improvement is to 29 provide a terminal connection for wire or cable conductors, which will overcome this difliculty, whereby the conductor. may be caused to vibrate without causing the same to break.

The above and other objects may be attained by forming the improved terminal connection from a sheet blank of copper or other sheet metal having a central opening to receive a binding post or the like, one or more tongues being stamped from said opening, the strands of wire or cable conductor being arranged to be separated and located upon opposite sides of the central opening, opposite side portions of the sheet blank being adapted to be, bent down over said separated strands of the conductor and clamped 35 in position by the tongue or tongues above referred to; the blank being preferably providedwithv secondary or auxiliary wire clamping ears and also preferably provided with insulation clamping ears.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved terminal'connector showing the same fixed upon the terminal end of a wire or cable conductor;

Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3, a plan view of the sheet blank from which the terminal connector is formed;

Fig. 4, a plan view of the terminal connector with the conductor positioned therein preliminary to clamping the same upon Vthe terminal end of the conductor;

Fig. 5, a side elevation of the device as shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6, a view similar to Fig. l, showing a modified form of the invention in which two tongues are stamped from the central opening.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawing.

The improved terminal connection to which the invention pertains is preferably formed from a single sheet blank of copper, or other suitable' metal, which may be of the shape illustrated in Fig. 3. The body portion 10 of the blank has a central opening 11, formed therein, to receive a binding post or the like, one or more preferably at tongues 12, being stamped from said opening and bent up substantially perpendicular to the normal plane of the connection, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. f

Awing 13 is formed on each side of the body 70 portion 10 and provided in its outer edge with a notch 14 corresponding in size and shape to one half of the central opening 11 in the body portion. Each-of these wings is arranged to be bent upward, substantially perpendicular to the normal plane of the body 10, as upon the lines 15, assuming the positions shown in Figs. 4 and 5, forming a tubular portion with matching notches.

Extending centrally from one end of the body 10 `is a neck portion 16, which may be slightly 80 dished, and is preferably oifset downward from the body, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. Oppositely disposed, auxiliary, or secondary wire clamping ears 17 may be formed upon the neck if desired, and insulation clamping ears 18 of greater length than the wire clamping ears may be provided upon opposite sides of the end portion of the neck.

The ears 17 and 18 arev bent or curved upward, at either side of the neck, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the terminal connection being in the condition shown in said figures when ready for application to the terminal end of a wire or cable conductor.

In attaching the terminal connection to the conductor, the strands thereof are divided or separated as shown at ,S-S, in Fig. 4, and the end portion of the conductor is positioned upon the terminal connection as shown in said figure, the end portion of the insulation covering I of the conductor, being positioned between the in- Y sulation clamping ears 18 and the two separated ment, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the wings 13 and the body portion 11 forming a tubular portion. 'I'he wire is thus clamped tightly ,between the body portion 10 and the wings, the notches 14 or 14a matching each other to form an opening in the central portion of one side of the tubular portion, registering with the opening 11 in the other side.

The tongue 12, which extends through the opening formed by the matching notches, is then bent down upon the adjacent portions of the wings 13 over the abutting edges thereof, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, holding the wings in this position. The auxiliary wire clamping ears 17 may then be bent down upon the wire and the insulation clamping ears 18 may be bent down upon the end portion of the insulation, all as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

As shown in Fig. 6, where the two ears 12a are stamped from the central opening 11a, it will be seen that one ear is bent in each direction so as to engage over the abutting edges of both end portions of the wings 13a, within the notches 14a. It will be seen that the improved terminal connection may thus be provided with either one or two tongues for clamping the wings upon the separated strands of wire; and may be formed with or without the secondary or auxiliary wire clamping ears 17, and with orA without the insulation clamping ears 18.

I claim:

1. A one-piece sheet metal terminal connection for clamping divided strands of a conductor, said terminal connection including a tubular portion formed of reversely bent wings having their free edges in abutment, the wings being provided at their abutting edges with matching notches forming an opening in one side of the tubular portion, and a tongue stamped from the other side of the tubular portion for extending through said opening and clamping over the abutting edges of said wings.

2. A one-piece sheet metal terminal connection for clamping divided strands of a conductor, said terminal connection including a tubular portion formed of reversely bent wings having their iree edges in abutment, the wings being provided at their abutting edges with matching notchesl forming an opening at the central por tion of one side of the tubular portion, and tongues stamped from the other side of the tubular portion i'or extending through said opening and clamping over the abutting edges of said wings at opposite ends of the opening.

RICHARD W. GRACE. 

